Geeks and Buddhists to Collide This Week

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Trapdoor Books launches the world's first Buddhist thriller, The Magician of Lhasa. The tag line says it all, "A novice monk. A quantum scientist. An ancient secret." The Magician of Lhasa has received rave early reviews from both geeks and Buddhists alike.

“Fanciful caves, scary adventures, and a creepy plot are all mixed up with deep truths about human existence and the nature of mind. How rare to get an exciting story and be made to think deeply about the meaning of life.”
- Dr. Susan Blackmore

Lyons, Colorado (PRWEB)January 28, 2010

Geek quantum scientists and Tibetan Buddhists are set to collide this week. No, we’re not talking about a bizarre experiment in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, but a rare intersection revealed with the official launch of The Magician of Lhasa, the world’s first Buddhist thriller, published by emerging geek fiction press Trapdoor Books (http://www.trapdoorbooks.com)

The Magician of Lhasa by David Michie is a suspenseful adventure story and a tale of corporate intrigue, involving a lama and his two novice monks fleeing the Red Army invasion of Tibet in 1959 carrying their order’s most well-guarded secret. In a parallel but intertwined storyline, a contemporary researcher’s nanotech project is mysteriously moved from London to a technology incubator in Los Angeles.

While a number of modern day thrillers are set against the backdrop of history and religion – think Dan Brown’s antimatter in the Vatican – rarely does the final story appeal to fans on both sides of the science and religion equation. The Magician of Lhasa has received rave early reviews from both Buddhists and geeks alike.

Chris Matney, Publisher at Trapdoor Books says: “Most people believe the ideas of quantum science presented by the likes of Einstein, Bohr, and Schrodinger were a 20th century scientific breakthrough. But when physicist Sir Arthur Eddington said ‘The concept of substance has disappeared from fundamental physics’ he was only paraphrasing what Buddha said 2,500 years ago. Quantum science and Buddhism represent two converging lines – objective and subjective – which arrive at the same startling understanding about reality.”

Michie, the best-selling author of the non-fiction books Buddhism for Busy People and Hurry Up and Meditate, says: “Science and religion have been represented as fundamentally conflicted since the Renaissance. The current angst about evolution versus intelligent design is just the latest in a long line of debates. Buddhism not only embraces science, but as technology has advanced, it has increasingly verified truths about the nature of reality revealed centuries ago in ancient India. And the Dalai Lama’s view is that if science disproves any tenet of Buddhism, Buddhism must change accordingly.”

Availability
The Magician of Lhasa launches across North America today and is available in hardcover, trade paperback and various e-book formats. The book is available on the Trapdoor Books website or from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine retailers.

About The Magician of Lhasa
When novice monk Tenzin Dorje is told by his lama that the Red Army is invading Tibet, his country’s darkest moment paradoxically gives him a sense of purpose like no other. He accepts a mission to carry two ancient, secret texts across the Himalayas to safety. Half a century later, in a paradox of similarly troubling circumstances, Matt Lester is called upon to convey his own particular wisdom as a scientist, when Matt’s nanotech project is mysteriously moved to America after being acquired by the shadowy Acellerate Corporation.

Tenzin and Matt embark on parallel adventures which have spine-chilling connections. Tenzin’s perilous journey through the Himalayas, amid increasing physical hardship and the ever-present horror of Red Army capture, is mirrored by Matt’s contemporary, but no less traumatic challenges, as his passionate relationship with his fiancée, Isabella, and his high flying career undergo escalating crises. It is at the moment when both Tenzin and Matt face catastrophe that their stories converge, spectacularly transforming our understanding of all that has gone before.

About Trapdoor Books
Trapdoor Books in an imprint of Trapdoor Publishing, an emerging small press in Lyons, Colorado. Our geek fiction philosophy: technology, intellectual promiscuity, and scientific thought are becoming increasingly appealing to a wider audience of sophisticated, socially-connected readers. Our goal is to break traditional genres and surprise readers with well-paced, well-researched and compelling stories.

About David Michie
Best-selling author David Michie introduces the world's first Tibetan Buddhist thriller in his latest masterpiece, The Magician of Lhasa. Michie has previously published three mysteries through Time Warner Books UK and is the author of the popular non-fiction titles Buddhism for Busy People and Hurry Up and Meditate.